I might need to re-type my hair. Thoughts on encouraging waves?

[Zesty]

I know these threads are waaay overdone, but lately I've been forgetting about my hair as it dries (busy, etc.) and it seems that it's a lot wavier than I thought.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n120/Paisley_Love/7-10Oct2013_zpse241824f.jpg (http://s110.photobucket.com/user/Paisley_Love/media/7-10Oct2013_zpse241824f.jpg.html)

These are both from this week, the day I washed. It's wavier than last time I looked at it, and seems to want to clump more. On the left I've sprayed on some stuff that's supposed to encourage waves, and I tried to scrunch a bit. The underlayer of my hair is even wavier than this, with distinct s-waves about halfway down the length. I've fingercombed or combed the ends, but not much else. I've been using a shampoo with no SLS in it, but instead sodium coco-sulfate. Could that have caused the change? Does this make me a 1c/2a, or even a 2a?

I've been used to my hair being mostly straight, and now it seems to be fuzzy and clumpy up close, but from farther away it looks like it's struggling to be wavy. I'm pretty sure I'll be cutting my hair to just past shoulder length in a few weeks, and I'd LOVE to try to encourage these waves when they're less weighted down. I've tried some scrunching but I'm unsure of products that are more hair-friendly than gel or mousse, so all I've tried is that spray that my roommate has. Is there any way to get the outermost layer and the front to wave more like the back underlayer?

[lapushka]

I'd say 1c/2a.

[Anje]

Your hair looks quite a lot like mine, possibly a smidge wavier. 1c/2a or 2a could apply, though I'll want to brighten up your photo for a better look and can't do that right now...

If your scalp can take it, CO washing can certainly encourage waves. Failing that, try CWC or at least ensuring that the shampoo suds are on your scalp rather than being applied to the length. The other major tricks for waves are Curly Girl based. Leave-ins, gel, scrunching, and drip drying without combing all enhance waves, but they tend to make your hair separate into chunks. Curlies love this, but in my opinion the gentle wavies are much more ambivalent about the look on themselves.

[Firefox7275]

Try the Curly Girl method, it's not just products but technique including applying to fairly wet hair, not brushing/ combing and 'plopping' (a variation on the regular towel turban). Try hydrolysed protein as a wave booster, it usually works well for fine hair and is much gentler than the salts found in many curl enhancing sprays.